Kristin Vis
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Importance of Water Quality & Water Testing
Importance of Water Quality & Water Testing
Executive Summary
Background
Solutions
Closer
Bibliography
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
We drink, cook, and bathe in the water we receive in our home, never going a day without it. Yet many people do not even stop to think about how their water is managed, and if it is safe. Having clean water is a privilege that not everyone has, but everyone should be able to have. People should not have to worry about consuming bacteria, lead, or other contaminants. However, due to many misregulations and a lack of concern for this, incidents like the one in Flint continue to occur. Waste continues to be dumped into the water, and it is becoming more and more of a normal thing for rivers to be dirty. In fact, it is very common to be told that a river is dirty, so much so that rivers in general have just gained a reputation of being unclean. This should not be the case, though, especially with so many regulations being put in place.
“Some 1 million people are estimated to die each year from diarrhea as a result of unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hand hygiene” according to the World Health Organization. Contaminants like lead and arsenic as well as bacteria cause diseases and parasites, greatly affecting the populations that rely on the polluted water source for drinking. UN Health currently puts the number of people who die from water pathogens to be around 3.5 million, with many more becoming sick, too. This is mostly in part of poor monitoring on what goes into the water. Despite many regulations being put in place by the EPA and most local governments, it is clear that has simply become not enough, as many corporations have ignored or somehow found ways to remain in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
Background
Background
Polluted water has always been a problem, it is definitely not a new issue, though it had never begun to be fully addressed until around 50 some years ago. One incident in Ohio left the Cuyahoga River in shambles. On June 22nd, 1969, an oil slick on the Cuyahoga River suddenly caught ablaze, burning for nearly 30 minutes. One would think that this would cause quite some panic, but it did not. In fact the river itself was so dirty that rat corpses, metal shavings, oil, and filth had become normal, and a fire was actually not too out of the ordinary. For context, the Cuyahoga river was used as a dump site for sewage and waste from nearby factories and steel mills for many many years. Instead of local citizens having concern for the now dirty water, the pollution to them just was a sign that the factories were booming, in turn meaning the economy was alive. Due to the lack of concern for this, the river continued to become unlivable, unusable. This became even more of a problem when the river’s mess began to spill into Lake Erie, which had become known for its pollution even in recent years. It seemed as though no one cared, quite simply because they did not. Partly as a result of this fire, in 1970 the Environmental Protection Agency was formed and a mission suddenly was born to protect and clean the river. More and more protests against pollution, including one of the first Earth Day marches ever recorded in history (a year after the fire), began to rise. The Clean Water Act was passed in the early 1970s and clean up began to occur. The act, according to the EPA, “implement[s] pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry…[it] has also developed national water quality criteria recommendations for pollutants in surface waters.” Essentially, it puts in place standards that every facility must follow. However, these standards were not and still are not always met.
A drawing of the Cuyahoga river fire in 1969
Nowadays, even though the Clean Water Act remains in place, and we as a society have become more aware of the dangers of water pollution, things still are not always working out the way they should be. A lot of facilities have found ways around the regulations, or have simply given up. Perhaps one of the most studied cases of abuse in water quality standards ever has been right here in our home state, and it is still seriously concerning. Easily recognizable by its name, the Flint Water Crisis in 2014 was an extreme case of misuse and carelessness in monitoring water quality. As a quick summary, what had happened eight years ago was the city of Flint decided to switch the source in which it gets its water, from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The Flint River pipes had been eroding for years, leaking lead and other contaminants, which was getting into people’s home water systems. One would assume that this was unknown to many officials, as nothing had been done to solve it. However, this was not the case. The river had been previously known to be a dumping site for waste for many years, and the work being done to treat the water had been thoroughly neglected. Truth be told, the regulation to clean the river and make water safe (as set by the EPA and the Clean Water Act) had been ignored by officials and the focus had been instead on simply saving money. Though the whole situation may be considered “old news” now, the actual root cause of the crisis still remains a problem, not only in Flint. Water quality is often seriously overlooked, even in individual homes.
Solutions
Solutions
Currently, penalties are in fact put in place for any individual or corporation that is found to have violated the Clean Water Act, mostly being high fines and sometimes jail time. However, despite these penalties being put in place, many of the problems are not being stopped. Monetary fines can only do so much damage, as the problem will continue to pursue despite charges on the companies. Being given a fine and simply told not to do something is little but a slap on the wrist, and instead, more regulations on actually fixing facilities that are handling our drinking water need to be put in place. However, this is much easier said than done, as there is not a real way to make sure every facility is 100% following the rules. This is perhaps why it is still such a big problem, though there are some things that may be able to help reduce the problem:
Currently, penalties are in fact put in place for any individual or corporation that is found to have violated the Clean Water Act, mostly being high fines and sometimes jail time. However, despite these penalties being put in place, many of the problems are not being stopped. Monetary fines can only do so much damage, as the problem will continue to pursue despite charges on the companies. Being given a fine and simply told not to do something is little but a slap on the wrist, and instead, more regulations on actually fixing facilities that are handling our drinking water need to be put in place. However, this is much easier said than done, as there is not a real way to make sure every facility is 100% following the rules. This is perhaps why it is still such a big problem, though there are some things that may be able to help reduce the problem:
Solution 1
Solution 1
One of the biggest issues when it comes to any conflict or difficulty is simply ignorance. As briefly mentioned above, clean water is not something people who are used to having it are going to think a lot about. This becomes a problem when people are unaware of possible issues. It becomes something people are unfocused on, further allowing companies to slip into their patterns of abuse in water regulations. So, first it is important to make more individuals aware of the water safety regulations that are put in place locally, as that is likely where their water is going to be coming from. People in general need to know more about water regulations, and what they can do to make sure that their water is being properly treated.
Solution 2
Solution 2
In order to be able to do this, water treatment facilities can offer various methods of being able to show water recipients what exactly goes into the process of making their water drinkable. Personally, I have been on trips in previous classes to water treatment facilities and have learned the process of treating water. Allowing people to take similar tours and learn more about the water treatment itself is a great way to help make sure things are running smoothly.
Solution 3
Solution 3
Another thing is for individuals to be able to know their source. A lot of towns, like Grand Rapids, post nearly daily updates on the quality of local bodies of water, and how clean the water is on that specific day The USGS also posts water quality updates here on their website. These are great sources to monitor how good the source of one’s water is. Being able to check and make sure that the water source is safe is very important.
Solution 4
Solution 4
Even with all this in place, pollutants can still somehow find their way into the water, and if people know that there may be a potential hazard in the water, people can do at-home water tests. Many stores and online sell test kits that allow people to test the water coming out of their taps and showers, to help see if it is safe or not. A good majority of these test kits are fairly cheap, around $30 or so, and usually only need to be tested once a year. If people were able to know how to do this, they could be much more at ease and able to help themselves.
Solution 5
Solution 5
There is one problem with the above solution: money. Many people cannot afford to do regular water testing, so having the city offer free water testing would also be a good way to make sure that people are getting the safe water they need. Many cities actually already offer this. Tri County Water company offers free water testing in most places in Michigan. Though this is not the case everywhere. Having cities require free water tests would be a solid solution.
Solution 6
Solution 6
Protesting. As with any problem that is government and/or corporate related, holding events where we make issues known to leaders is very effective in getting a message across. Making government officials aware is a very important step.
Closer
Closer
Of course, despite all the possible solutions, water quality safety is always going to be a problem in our world because things are not always perfect, but trying to put as much effort as possible into stopping it is our best bet at keeping water clean and safe.
Bibliography/sources
Bibliography/sources
Caravanos, J., Dowling, R., Tellez-Rojo, M. M., Cantoral, A., Kobrosly, R., Estrada, D., & Wright, R. (2019). Blood lead levels in Mexico and pediatric burden of disease implications. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(15), 2753. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31352596/
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Drinking-water. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water#:~:text=Water%20and%20health,hepatitis%20A%2C%20typhoid%20and%20polio
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, March 13). Indicators: Benthic macroinvertebrates. National Aquatic Resource Surveys. https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-benthic-macroinvertebrates
Grand Rapids Whitewater. (2022, April 4). Grand River water quality: Ongoing improvements have created a safer, cleaner waterway. https://grandrapidswhitewater.org/grand-river-water-quality-ongoing-improvements-have-created-a-safer-cleaner-waterway/
Natural Resources Defense Council. (2022, April 4). The Flint water crisis: Everything you need to know. NRDC. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know
Foster, K. (2019). The Flint water crisis: How climate science, governance and public advocacy created a once-in-a-generation opportunity for change. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 35(5), 778-790. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2019.1670506
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Criminal provisions under the Clean Water Act. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal-provisions-water-pollution
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